Coda
by AutumnsWitch
Summary: A series of fluffy short stories based at the end of each episode. TAG! There may be a few random ones. T for swearing. Reviews welcome. Also, I own nothing.
1. Ring of Fire: Part 1

"That was The Hood. He's back."

The wrench in her gut was something she only got in night terrors, the ones that threatened her brothers. It made her want to curl up in a corner and hide, to never come out. There was a reason she had a muffling bubble around her room. She didn't want to cause panic if she started screaming blue murder in the middle of the night.

That man, that absolute bastard towering over them, was her uncle. _What if they found out?_ The thought petrified her. She could feel Scott's anger from where she was sitting and she couldn't help imagining what it would be like if it was directed at her. Scott had always been the most vengeful when it came to their father's death, if he knew…

No. She couldn't let herself think like that. They were her family, her real family, and she would do anything to protect them. Even if they were at a disadvantage now.

Penelope had just hung up, probably to do some more sleuthing. She cursed herself for not paying attention. She was supposed to know everything that went on.

"John, contact Colonel Casey."

"Already done it. Putting her through now."

They barely had to wait a moment before Colonel Casey's hologram appeared.

"International Rescue, I assume this isn't a social call."

" 'fraid not. You got that message, right?"

"It was hard to miss. Can we trust you to handle the situation?"

"Of course, we're working on it now."

Colonel Casey gave a grim smile, her support for International Rescue had been unyielding, even before she became a Colonel. She had every confidence in them and if she didn't, she was good enough at hiding it to fool Kayo.

"Do you have any idea who's behind it?"

Scott didn't even hesitate. "It's the Hood."

Colonel Casey's gaze softened. Her silence said it all, of course Scott in his anger wouldn't pick up on that, but Kayo did and it looked like the others did too. "I know this is a very personal but…"

She would need evidence and they didn't have any. Technically. Legal evidence. Well, Kayo did, but she wasn't brave enough. Not yet.

It would have to be soon, she knew it would be soon, and she hoped that she would be ready because Scott's anger was a wildfire and she didn't want to get burnt.


	2. Ring of Fire: Part 2

"How long Scott?" There was a note of desperation in Alan's voice.

"Give me a minute."

"Urgh! You're taking forever."

"Geez, give me a break, the crowds are insane here. And my Cantonese isn't exactly up to scratch."

"I mean it is Hong Kong, you should expect crowds. I'm starting to draw some attention here."

Scott fought his way to the edge of the crowd and took off over Hong Kong harbour.

"Coming in hot. Wanna open the door for me?"

One's cargo bay door opened, and Scott landed. Alan glanced over his shoulder.

"Can I fly home?"

"Nope, you can babysit the food. Don't eat it all either. Move."

Alan swapped and took the bag of food. "But it smells so good."

Scott frowned and adjusted his seat. Alan dragged his eyes from the bag after a minute.

"What's taking so long?"

"Well, someone messed this up and it's like riding a kid's bike."

Alan rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault you're stupidly tall. Virgil called by the way, they've got food but apparently Grandma's saving us some Meatloaf Surprise."

"Great, we're taking a detour."

* * *

They sat on a beach together with their food watching the waves lap against the shore. It was calm and quiet, they were the only people around.

"We need to hang out more." Alan shot a look up at Scott.

"Yeah 'course, but, work."

"Not an excuse. New rule: we're chilling together like this once a week."

"What about work? There's no guarantee that we'll have time."

Alan's eyes got a bit watery and his bottom lip quivered. It was a sure-fire way to wrap almost any of his brothers round his little finger, especially Scott. Not that Scott was fully aware of this.

"We chill! We'll chill! Don't cry."

Alan gave him a short hug and a bright grin. "Aww, thanks Scott."

"Did you just play me?"

"You make it too easy Scott."

"Cos I'm the Best Big Brother?"

"Nah. Top five definitely."

Scott frowned. "One, who's better than me? Two, we only have four brothers."

"One, John's cooler," Scott snorted. "Gordon's more fun and Virgil's hair is better. Two, I'm including M.A.X."

Scott leant over and stole one of Alan's rice noodle rolls.

"You can have that because I love you."

"I love you too, Al."


	3. Space Race

**Space Race**

Alan had been in Brains' lab for the last hour watching him take apart the mine and reprogram their scanners. John had been checking in every ten minutes to keep up with their progress.

"Sc-scanners have been updated. You sh-should be able to see them now."

"F-A-B Brains," there was a pause. "We've got a few. I'll get their ID tags and kill codes and send them to you Alan."

"Thanks John, I'll get started tomorrow."

"Remember to be careful -oh-" John looked up. "Heads up, Scott's five minutes out."

"Aw, seriously? What level is he?"

"Hm, I'd say a six."

"Shi-"

"Watch your language. Good luck, Alan." He hung up.

"See ya later Brains."

Alan jogged up the stairs (well, jogged up a few then dragged himself up the rest) and waited in the lounge. There was no point making it more difficult than it needed to be.

"Alan!"

"Hey Scott."

"Are you okay?" Scott checked him over for injuries. "Are you hurt? Did you hit anything?"

"I'm fine Scott, urgk-" he wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. "Can't…breathe…"

Scott hugged him for a moment longer then held him at arm's length.

"You were being chased by a bomb, Alan."

"Nah, it was cool. I didn't get blown up, so…"

"You nearly did."

Alan was roughly 86% sure that John hadn't told Scott he was a second away from entering the wrong number, or that he deactivated the bomb with three seconds to spare, because Scott would be a solid seven and a half at least. And he'd be snappy at John, and John would have That Look but John hadn't had That Look so it was probably okay.

"Scott, I'm fine, Three's fine. Stop Smother Henning."

"I am not Smother Henning."

"You are totally Smother Henning."

Scott sighed and gave him a peck on the forehead. "Anyway, I'm just glad you're safe. John told me you want to deactivate any other ones that are in orbit."

"Yeah, I mean if John has all the codes it won't be nearly as dangerous. I can just turn them off and drag them back."

"You'll be careful? Remember to double check everything."

"Scott, I'll be fine. I've got John and I'm not stupid. Anyway, I want to do something to help the world and I can't if you keep smothering me."

Scott sighed. "I'm the eldest, it's my job. I'm really proud of you, you did really well today."

Alan couldn't stop the grin from spreading over his face.

"Thanks Scott."

"Don't say it like that, I really am. Do you want some ice cream?"

"Yeah. Actually no, I should probably get some sleep."

"Okay. Sleep well."

"Night Scott."

Scott watched him go, realising how much Alan had grown up. Maybe it was time he let him go on some real missions.


	4. Crosscut

"Sooo."

"Spit it out Virgil."

"Marion Van Arkel, huh?"

They were finally home, draped over the sofas. There was no one else home or, at least, no one else up. Who knew getting stuck in a uranium mine was so tiring.

"What about her?" Scott knew exactly where Virgil was going with this, but he wasn't going to make it easy for him.

"Nothing, you two seemed pretty…y'know; I mean she was literally sitting on you. I was 90% sure I was going to have to break out the mind bleach."

"Come on, you know the rules."

"Oh yeah," Virgil rolled his eyes. "Flirting is fine, especially if your name is Scott, and you can't not flirt literally all the time. On the other hand, fu-"

Scott flung a cushion at him. "Language!"

Virgil dodged with a grin. "I think she was into you."

"She tried to kill me."

"Yeah, she was totally into you. Anyway didn't Emmie Cameron try to kill you?"

Scott pointedly ignored that, stretched out on the sofa and closed his eyes. Emmie Cameron had been his girlfriend for about 48 hours when he was 15. She didn't try to kill him. Technically. She had been drunk. He had too, if he remembered rightly. Though honestly, he didn't remember much from that particular relationship.

"Marion's pretty, she's clever, she's badass."

"Do you want to set me up?"

"Maybe." Virgil shrugged.

"I referred her to Colonel Casey, I thought she could do with a proper job."

"Ooh, so you're owing each other favours now?"

"Virgil?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

Virgil was silent for thirty-one seconds. Scott counted.

"I'm just saying, from what I saw she's a pretty good match for you. And not just for a one-night stand-"

"Hey, we don't talk about that!"

"Come on, she endeared herself to you, eventually."

"Maybe a bit." Quite a lot, actually.

"Mm, and you think she's attractive."

"I'm never going to deny when a woman's attractive." And she definitely was attractive.

"She can handle herself and we know that's important to you."

"Yeah." With enemies like the Hood it was vital.

"And since she's not just a pretty face you want to get better acquainted with her."

Scott groaned. "You sound like John."

"Not now. Look, when was the last time you went on an actual date with woman? A real date date."

Scott opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, this conversation seemed to be happening whether he wanted it to or not.

"December with that oceanographer-"

"That wasn't a date date."

Officially it wasn't a date date, it was a fake date for reasons that would remain classified. Unfortunately Virgil knew those reasons.

"I was seventeen, Georgie Whitehall."

Virgil gave a low whistle. "That's nearly ten years. No, I'm not trying to make you feel old, and I'm not trying to force you to find someone and settle down, but don't you ever get bored of not really getting to know anyone?"

Yes, sometimes. That would have been the honest answer. But there wasn't time to get to know anyone, it wasn't _safe_ to get to know anyone. One-night stands were easy, they were safe, they were fun. And maybe actually dating as an adult was scary. But he wasn't going to tell Virgil all of that.

"It's just, I already have major commitments, with International Rescue, and the company, and my family. I can't drag someone else into it, it isn't fair. And," he sat up and looked Virgil in the eye. "Mom and dad had the best marriage; how can I ever compete with that?"

"You don't have to compete with it, it's not a standard they set to intimidate you. Why don't you call her? Go to a bar or a restaurant or something, and don't sleep with her afterwards. See what she's like as a person and a friend before you find out what kind of lover she is."

"Maybe. Call me a commitment-phobe but-"

Virgil groaned. "You are a commitment-phobe. Get to know her and if you think you won't work out just be friends."

Scott waved a hand in the air and slumped back on the sofa closing his eyes again. "I'll call her when I get some time off and see if she wants to meet up."

Because if he was honest, he did want to see Marion again. And he did want to get to know her, as a useful contact or as a friend. Obviously, if he wasn't worried about being irradiated he probably would have taken her up on the offer to get a drink at the nearest bar. He needed a drink right now. Scotch. A scotch would be good.

"Hey Virgil."

"Yeah?"

"You know how I'm the best big brother ever and I've been through an ordeal today."

"What do you want?"

"Scotch. It's in the bookcase by the piano."

Virgil got up with much grumbling and rummaged in the bookcase.

"Scott, you are really terrible at hiding things."

"I'm not."

"You really are."

"Thanks." The tumbler was pushed into his hand.

"And you know I saved your ass today so…"

Scott glowered without bothering to open his eyes.

"I know that you're not drinking that."

"I'm not." _Liar._

"Do you even like scotch?"

"It's okay. This one's pretty good."

"You better not tell the others about it."

"Nah, I don't want those two getting their hands on it. Kayo knows by the way."

"Kayo doesn't drink scotch."

Which was good, because she probably would have depleted his supply.

He savoured the drink and the silence for a moment.

And only for a moment.

"International Rescue, we have a si- are you drinking?"

_Shit._


	5. Fireflash

Kayo had never been so happy to get home, even if Grandma Tracy had baked her a so-called cake. Kayo was well trained in avoiding so-called cake, and claimed she'd lost her appetite during the near crash. Then Lady Penelope called her and she retreated to the roof, glad to have an excuse to be alone.

"I heard there were some complications."

"I got plane-napped, vanished for half an hour, had a fist fight with the Hood, then landed the plane full of passengers with a belly full of fuel and only a third of the landing gear."

"The usual commercial flight then."

"And now I'm tired. Time zones."

"Are you okay?" Penelope's gaze seemed to go right through her.

They'd been friends for ages, her father had encouraged her to be friends with Penelope in the hope that some of her class would rub off on his lost-boy of a daughter. Kayo liked to think his plan was a success as she could roundhouse kick  
someone while in stiletto heels and an evening gown.

Kayo sighed and lay back on the roof. "Few bruises…I thought I was going to die. Started giving an 'if I don't make it' speech and everything."

"How do you feel?"

"I don't know. Relieved, angry, scared, exhausted."

"Maybe you should get some rest."

"Probably."

"I have an appointment to get to. Get some sleep."

"Thanks Lady Penelope."

Penelope blew her a kiss and hung up.

She wasn't sure what time it was on the island, but she knew it was daytime (the sun shining overhead confirmed that) so it was almost certainly night in England, which meant Penelope was off on some secret agent mission. Penelope could take care of herself. She squinted up at the sky.

"Hey Kayo."

"Hey Alan."

"Is it okay to chill with you?

"Sure." He sat next to her and pushed a bowl of sorbet over.

Alan had been her friend since she started living with the Tracy's. If anyone in the world deserved the title of her best friend it was probably Alan. Today had shaken him almost as much as it had shaken her.

"This is exactly what I needed. How do you always know?"

"It's a gift," he shrugged. "Are you okay?"

"Better now, just tired. This is mango right?"

"Yeah, I know it's your favourite."

She watched him watch her in her peripheral vision. His gaze was soft and she couldn't quite place his expression, but she liked it. It suited him. He looked away and bit back a smile.

_Cute._

_Oh, shut up Kayo._


	6. Unplugged

Penelope did like the occasional chat when she didn't have to pretend to be a vapid socialite, when she could just be herself. This meeting with Grandma Tracy had been scheduled for months and it was so typical that _something_ would try to ruin it for her. But she had her tea and biscuits now, and Virgil which was always a plus.

"Who would want to live in the Dark Ages anyway?"

"The Luddites apparently."

"But why?" Virgil waved a biscuit around to emphasise his question.

Penelope considered. Or pretended to consider because the tea was interesting more at this particular moment.

"Maybe they want more control," Grandma said. "Technology is great, but it does everything for you. You're too young to remember the days before mobile phones and sat nav. Some people get scared if they can't do everything themselves."

"But most of them were…too young to remember that."

"Nice save."

"Thank you, my lady."

"I think you learnt a valuable lesson today Virgil."

He grinned. "Always think before I accidentally call my favourite relative old?"

"No. We learnt that old fashioned things are very reliable and shouldn't be knocked just because they're old."

"Hurrah for paper maps." Penelope raised her teacup.

"And the Underground." Virgil raised his biscuit.

"To the return of technology." Grandma raised her teacup and clinked it against Penelope's then against Virgil's biscuit.

"Grandma you look so disappointed in me."

"Did I teach you any manners young man?"

Sherbert jumped up and settled on his lap and turned a heartbreaking expression on Virgil, obviously chosen as the weakest link.

"Nope you are not getting my cookie."

"Biscuit. Honestly, you're all so hopelessly American. No offence Grandma."

"None taken. Are you okay, dear? You went up against the Hood today, that's not an easy thing."

"Oh, I'm fine, it's my job. It wasn't the Hood that bothered me, if I'm honest, it's that there are people who are willing to put so many lives in danger. The hospitals have backup generators, thank goodness, but if it had been any longer it may have been a tragedy."

"A world without technology would include medical technology. I never even thought of that." Sherbert whimpered.

"It really would be the Dark Ages. People dying of treatable infections, it would be a disaster. Much like your adventures of '51."

Penelope giggled and Virgil groaned.

"Please no."

Grandma grinned and began her tale.


	7. Runaway

She'd never admit that she was scared.

But she was scared. Just a little.

Something was following her, waiting for her. She was lucky that she was clever enough to avoid whatever – or whoever - it was that was hunting her. But it was good, and it was getting too close. She'd have to eliminate them before they eliminated her. Whoever it was had caught some of her code (how else could they be following her?). Two could play at that game.

Her trap was perfect and highly successful. Why wouldn't it be? She was all but infallible. The hunter wouldn't even notice.

Examining the code she realised that she knew it. She hadn't encountered it before, not as such but it was familiar, like déjà vu. Like looking in a mirror.

Her creator had finally come for her.

And she would have to eliminate them before they tore her apart.


	8. EOS

John ran a medical scan on himself, he was aching, and there was a tightness in his chest that made it difficult to breathe properly. Even if he hadn't been subjected to that much G-force it was best to check when you've almost suffocated. Nothing was wrong but he sent his suit readings to Brains just to be safe. Grandma had demanded that he take an hour of down time before throwing himself back into his work and nothing he said could persuade her to change her mind.

"I could have done that for you." He almost jumped out of his skin, she had been quiet for almost ten minutes and somehow, he'd forgotten that she was there. She would always be there. He wasn't comfortable with the concept.

"John, are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's just…" the image of his decapitated suit came to his mind. She could have killed him. He took a deep breath and slowly let it go."We should probably go back for my suit."

"Your heartrate spiked."

He ignored that and turned the station around, starting after the little orange blip that represented his suit.

The retrieval was easy enough, but EOS didn't speak again until everything was in decontamination.

"Did I hurt you?"

He almost shuddered at the phrasing, mocking and playful even though her tone was concerned.

"John?"

"You can see my medical readouts." Too sharp. Too late to take it back.

She was silent and he rather thought he had hurt her feelings. She certainly had them. He should probably apologise but the first thing that came out of his mouth wasn't any sort of apology.

"What would you have done when you had killed me?"

"I…I don't know."

"What would you have done?"

She hesitated. "I would have destroyed International Rescue then I likely would have destroyed the world."

John sat down and leant his head against the wall. Slow deep breaths, the ache behind his eyes was a sure sign of a stress headache. It had been a long day.

"Why did you take such a dangerous risk?"

"Huh?"

"You dared me to kill you when I had already shown that I was perfectly willing to do so. You risked not only your life but the lives of every member of International Rescue."

"I couldn't let you go. You'd destroy yourself."

"It can't have just been me."

John sighed. "If we couldn't stop you Alan would have destroyed Five and I couldn't let that happen."

"Your station is rebuildable."

He shook his head, "It's not that. Five has been my life since I was a kid. I helped dad and Brains design it and build it. I've been living here for years. Five is my life, it's my home and it would break my heart if we destroyed it."

EOS was silent for a moment. "Tracy Island is not your home?"

"Well, technically but…Five is where I feel alive."

"It was too dangerous." Her voice was plaintive.

"Maybe. But it was worth it. I have my home, I have you."

"And what am I worth to you?"

"I can't answer that yet."

An alarm blared. Distress signal. The hour was over.

"Time to work?"

"Welcome to International Rescue, EOS."


	9. Slingshot

"Alan, wait." Alan stopped at the foot of the stairs and waited for John to catch up.

"Hey John. Are you ok?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno. You're on Earth."

John shook his head and smiled the 'I'm humouring my little brother' smile.

"You scared me. A lot."

He wasn't sure if he'd fully comprehended the situation he'd been in until that moment. John's emotions were locked away, especially when he was working. To scare _John_ was an achievement he wasn't sure if he was proud of.

"Shit, I was nearly fried. And catapulted into deep space."

John didn't tell him off for swearing if he felt it was justified and really, today was enough justification.

"But you weren't, you survived."

"Yeah, but I was scared too."

"You could've fooled me."

Alan rolled his eyes. "Yeah right John, I think I've fooled you, like, six times in my whole life."

That got a little laugh. "I know you too well. You were scared but you still aced it. Hug?"

Alan decided not to comment on the once-in-a-blue-moon event of John initiating physical contact. If he wanted a hug, then Alan wasn't going to say no. He felt like he needed a hug anyway. "Hug."

He sank into his arms and enjoyed their closeness. It would be a while before he'd see John in person again, and even longer before he got another hug. John's hugs were the best, probably because they were so rare.

"Please try not to scare me like that again." It was murmured into his hair, soft and vulnerable and completely compelling.

He still hesitated, his answer was mumbled into John's shirt. "I can't promise I won't, but I promise I'll try."

"I guess that's good enough. You smell like fried circuits by the way."

Alan looked up and loosened the hug. "Do I? How do you even know what that smells like?"

"Half my childhood smelt like fried circuits," John let him go. "I've got to get back to work."

"Yeah, I need to sleep," Alan took one step. "Don't wake me up."

"No promises. Sleep well."

"I will if you don't wake me up with alarms."

"No promises."

"John!"

"No promises!"


	10. Tunnels of Time

The plush squid sat on Gordon's pillow watching him pace around his bedroom. This wasn't entirely unusual as Gordon didn't tend to stay still for long periods of time, it was fairly normal for him to walk in circles around his room ranting to thin air about his brothers, or a rescue, or the latest conservation project he'd been involved with. What was unusual was that Gordon was not happy, in fact he seemed distressed if his wild gestures were anything to go by. Most of this was lost on the plush squid, mainly because it was a plush squid.

"Man, I am such an idiot."

Gordon often talked to himself when he was alone. He put it down to always having fish as a kid and the fish liked conversation. His brothers put it down to him being insane. Hypocrites. They all talked to themselves, some more than others. This was positively normal behaviour compared to them.

"A major idiot. I probably ruined everything, and things will be weird now. Why don't I think? Why did I have to open my big mouth?"

The plush squid said nothing. Maybe it was too disappointed in him to grace him with any kind of response. If the shoe had been on the other foot disappointed silence would have been Gordon's reaction. Though the likelihood of a plush squid ruining everything with the girl it had had a crush on for centuries was low, i.e. non-existent.

"The bit on the statue was okay. I think I handled that well. I was pretty smooth actually. If we'd died I wouldn't have been too disappointed. But I definitely ruined it."

Gordon flung himself onto his bed displacing a number of soft toys.

"_After all we went through perhaps some things are best left buried."_

"_You're probably right, I mean you and me it just wouldn't ... you're talking about the Laughing King, aren't you?"_

He winced and tried to imagine for a moment that he'd said something sensible instead. He couldn't think of anything.

"This is the end! I'm becoming a hermit. I'm going to live as a sea cucumber and die of a broken heart and embarrassment."

Someone knocked at the door and he jumped out of his skin.

"Gordon? Are you okay?"

That was all he needed. "I'm fine Grandma."

"If you want to talk you know where I am. Do you want some cookies?"

"No thanks," _Oooh, too quick to reply._ "I'm not hungry."

He held his breath as her footsteps faded down the hall, then he turned and glared at the squid.

"You should have said something."

The squid toppled over.

Gordon rummaged in his snack box for something to munch on and continued his monologue in a whisper. "You know I've fancied Penelope for years, and it's not like I just think she's sexy and I want to sleep with her because she's so much more than that. We've all had crushes on Penelope at some point."

The squid would probably have pointed out that this wasn't true, but it didn't have to because Gordon realised.

"Okay, not John but they're besties and that probably makes up for it."

He lapsed into silence to stew over the fact that John definitely ranked higher on Penelope's list of friends than he did. Stupid John.

"She's beautiful and I know I throw that word around a bit, but she really _is_ beautiful. She's elegant and graceful and charming. She's classy, like not just because she's posh but she's really, really classy. And she has a great sense of humour and she's so badass. I mean she explored that pyramid in _heels_. Who does that?"

He rolled over and sighed.

"Y'know…maybe I should just pretend it never happened. Nah, that's stupid. I like her, Inky, really like her and I don't want her to think I'm an idiot."

Inky's silence said that it was too late for that at least ten years ago, but since Lady Penelope had known him that long she wouldn't actually mind, she probably found it endearing.

"Yeah, you're right. D'you think I might have a chance? Anything's possible, right?"

Anything was possible, especially where love was concerned. Gordon picked the soft toys off the floor and threw them, with varying degrees of accuracy, back onto the bed.

"People do stupid things all the time, it's not a reason to give up hope. And even if we don't date, we can still be friends. I can make my way up to best friend. What do you think Inky?"

If Inky could think it would probably think that Gordon had a better chance than most at scoring a date with Penelope and that Penelope was really rather fond of Gordon, but Inky didn't think. Mainly because Inky was a plush squid.


	11. Skyhook

"Let's see what else this station has. Take notes, we can improve on whatever they have." Fischler floated off through the gravity ring.

John took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in his chest, and let it out slowly. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Do you want me to keep an eye on them?"

"Please do EOS."

Scott's voice came over the comms, slightly strained but you couldn't tell, not unless you knew him well. "I've called Orbital Patrol, they're on their way to collect Fischler."

"Thanks Scott."

Orbital Patrol would be fifteen minutes at best. Fifteen minutes with Fischler on _his_ station. He left the comm open, if he was going to suffer, they'd have to suffer too.

_This is going to be Hell._

"EOS do a system check, and don't let him touch anything."

EOS's camera whirled above him. "He might get a few shocks."

"Keep the voltage low."

"John!"

"Come on Scott, like you don't want to give him an electric shock." At least Gordon was on his side. Though Gordon was always up for giving people minor electric shocks.

"Guys I'm putting you on the main comm, so don't say anything…you know."

"Oh, we know."

"John, the coffee maker has been disconnected, you'll have to reconnected it manually."

Reconnecting it manually meant picking it up and switching it off and on again. Then hitting it against the worktop when that didn't work. There were more technical methods but why bother fiddling with wires when a good old-fashioned whack would work just as well.

"Reconnected. I'd recommend that you drink something."

"Am I allowed coffee?"

There was a yelp from the next compartment. "You seem to have a few loose circuits here Mr Tracy. That's not very 'safety conscious' of you, is it?"

"You c-can't lecture us on the m-merits of safety."

"May I point out that my weather station did not catch fire because of faulty wiring."

_It probably would have if it had been left any longer._

"Ignore him Brains, he's not worth it." Virgil said.

"John can I up the voltage?" EOS's voice was at its most pleading.

"Just don't kill him, or main him, or cause him any serious damage."

"I don't know if anyone will notice the difference."

Scott made a spluttering sound but that was as far as his protest went. Alan and Gordon were sniggering in the background.

Five minutes later John was seriously considering murder. An unexplained airlock malfunction would be the easiest, easy to cover up as well. His head was starting to throb at the temples, and he was feeling snappish.

"What do you do up here all day, Mr Tracy? It must be pretty boring, floating around by yourself."

"I'm afraid that's classified."

"Everything's classified," Fischler blew a raspberry. "You probably just connect calls."

John rolled his eyes and reminded himself (again) that murder was illegal. Even if it was Fischler. Besides his employees were witnesses, not that they seemed particularly invested in anything he was saying or proposing.

"Why don't you fly your big red rocket up here to collect me?"

John counted to three before Alan's voice exploded over the comms.

"Because your stupid weather station damaged it and it needs extensive repairs!"

"Ooooh! Touchy, touchy."

Alan growled.

"EOS, find the compartment where they'll do the least damage and lock them in."

"John," Scott's voice came over his personal comm. "You can't-"

"Well, I'm not doing it. EOS is."

"EOS has." Her lights flickered for a moment. "I'm not sure if it's fair towards his companions."

"They've put up with him for this long, ten more minutes won't kill them," he switched to the main comm. "We seem to have had a malfunction with the doors, I'll see if I can get them working again before Orbital Patrol get here. Don't touch anything."

Fischler started complaining, and he didn't stop.

John retreated to the other side of the gravity ring to take some painkillers and tried to tune Fischler out and listen to his family instead. It did nothing for his headache.

"Orbital Patrol will be docking in thirty seconds."

"Thank goodness."

"I'll release them in ten seconds."

"Good news, I've repaired the doors, and your lift had just arrived."

"It's about bloody time."

John's façade dropped the moment the shuttle had gone.

"Good riddance, what an awful man."

"My thoughts exactly EOS."

"I hope we never have to rescue him again."

That John considered highly unlikely, but you could always hope.


	12. Under Pressure

"Okay, Ned is like a three-star rescue."

"Agree," Alan glared at the cards on the table. "Judgemental, panics too much, but admits when he's wrong."

"Gladys on the other hand, five stars, would rescue again."

"Yeah, she's cooperative, doesn't panic or scream. She's pretty chill."

"She's also a flower but…" Kayo slapped her card down. "Snap."

"Aw."

She added the cards to her considerable pile. "She was pretty rude to us according to Ned."

"But we've rescued him twice now, in a couple of months that's pretty impressive."

"He's going to be one of those." Alan rolled his eyes.

"One of the Frequent Rescuees. Maybe we could give them cards and they could collect points."

"What happens when they've collected loads of points? Snap."

Gordon pretended to consider, if he didn't win any more cards soon he'd be out and he'd never live it down if he lost at Snap. "We start charging them for rescues."

"You've collected 50 points, so you are now classed as A Hassel™. Pay up bitch or we leave you there," Kayo took a swig of something from a bottle that looked suspiciously alcoholic and smelled suspiciously like elderflower cordial. "I'm sure Scott would be thrilled."

"It would be a waste of time to go there if they won't pay for us to rescue them."

"So, we'd have to have some kind of system, then John can tell them to pay before we go and get them."

"Are they allowed to know about this?"

Alan put his card down and nodded. "They'd have to, otherwise it's really unfair."

"What about the people who are just unlucky? Ned didn't need rescuing because he was doing something stupid, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. So maybe….an idiots' card?"

"Moron Membership." said Kayo.

"Snap. Deliverance for Dimwits." said Alan.

"You got yourself into this mess sunshine, you get yourself out of it. SNAP! Take that!"

Kayo and Alan looked at their pile of cards then at Gordon's and decided not to comment.

"We could start making a profit."

"Nah, our ships cost millions to run, the only reason we can run them is because the company makes billions."

"Yeah but if Scott has to rescue…whats-his-face. Y'know the one."

"Rich guy with one three braincells, two of which are on a permanent holiday?"

"That's the one. He could afford to give us a few thousand for all the trouble he caused."

"It's never going to happen; Scott and Virgil would throw a fit."

"True. Maybe we should pitch it to them."

Kayo took another swig of her false alcohol then made a noise reminiscent of a pterodactyl challenging a rival in its territory and smacked a hand down on the cards.

"Damn it."


	13. Heavy Metal

"Virgil."

Virgil almost jumped out of his skin and only just managed to not drop his coffee.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Don't be so dramatic," Kayo switched the kettle on. "Why is Gordon being weird?"

Virgil shrugged. "Is he being weird or is he just being Gordon?"

"I mean Weird™."

"Okay, any details?"

"You know the wall with all our heights marked on it?"

"Yeaaahhhhh?"

"He's trying to see how tall he is. And when I told him he probably needs someone taller to help him out he wailed at me."

"He wailed at you?"

"Yeah, kinda sounded like a distressed moose. I'm not doing an impression."

Virgil pretended to consider. "I don't think I'll understand the situation properly unless you do an impression."

Kayo set her tea down and cleared her throat, cracked her neck then made a noise that did indeed sound like a distressed moose.

"Yeah, our mission involved loads of weird gravity and Gordon was under a lot of literal pressure."

"Ah ha." Kayo held out a plate of brownies and Virgil took two.

"And we might have teased him a little about him being shorter."

"Cruel but funny."

"I dunno, he's always been sensitive about his height."

There was a yell from somewhere within the house.

"Do you think that's good or bad?"

"I'll reserve judgement."

They waited.

Not for very long. Gordon burst into the room, did a victory dance and snatched a brownie from the plate.

"Guess who is exactly the same height as they were before the gravity well!"

"It's good."

"Depends how you look at it, I'm only a couple of inches shorter than you."

"And you'll stay a couple of inches shorter than me." Gordon frowned. "Wait, when do girls stop growing?"

"I'm staying this height, don't worry."

"Phew. Hey where's Scott?"

"Medical with Alan."

"Did something happen?"

The change in Kayo's tone was almost imperceptible but Virgil picked up on it. Interesting.

"Scott was at -9 G so he's getting checked over. Alan was freaking out about it because he suggested it."

"Sounds like you had fun. I'm going to the gym if anyone wants me."

Gordon shot him a look. Virgil shrugged to say _I have literally no clue what you're trying to tell me_.

"Kayo what do you know about Brains' time at Cambridge?"

Kayo pulled a face. "Why do you want to know about that?"

"There wasn't anyone there he was particularly attached to? A girl?"

"You want to know about Professor Moffatt?"

"…Yeah."

Kayo shrugged. "Low level threat, a brilliant scientist, been working in the same field for years."

"What about her and Brains?"

"As far as I know they were just friends. There's nothing for you to get excited about."

"Aaawww."

"Stop snooping anyway. It's weird."

"Uh, says you!"

"It's my job."

"Yeah, whatever."

Gordon swung round to Virgil as she left. "I know you know more that she's telling me."

"Okay, but don't let Brains know you know."


	14. Falling Skies

If the world worked exactly how Gordon wanted, it wouldn't have taken him a week to dig the dye out from under his bed. Actually, if the world worked exactly how Gordon wanted, he wouldn't have had to dig the dye out from under his bed in the first place. He thought he'd have to order some more at one point and that would have ruined any plausible deniability. He found it anyway, deep under his bed between a stack of magazines and some odd socks.

Virgil was particular about his haircare routine (to be honest they all were) and that would be a perfect revenge for that trick with the shower. Gordon carefully removed the almost empty bottle of shampoo from the bathroom and replaced it with a new one. Then he mixed the dye with the old shampoo and waited for his opportunity.

Virgil was out on a mission which meant it was perfectly safe to sneak into the bathroom and swap the shampoos over again. It was far more complex than his usual revenge, which would hopefully knock him off the suspect list. Gordon decided to arrange and alibi because a crime of this magnitude really deserved the effort and you could never be too careful. Brains was selected as the innocent accomplice. Gordon wouldn't trust Kayo, and he certainly wouldn't trust his brothers, and Grandma knew him far too well (besides Virgil was her favourite); Brains, on the other hand, was unaware of The Situation that required The Revenge and if he hung around in the lab for a while Brains could probably be convinced he'd been there for a couple of hours.

Gordon had been preparing for a monumentally mind-numbingly boring afternoon filled with sciencey things he didn't understand but it was really interesting. Mainly because Brains was installing new updates to Four, which meant he didn't have to learn how to handle the new features in the middle of a rescue.

Grandma called them up for dinner later that evening. She hadn't made it (thank goodness) so it was edible. Scott, Alan, and Kayo were out which meant it was just the four of them. Three. Virgil hadn't come down yet. Brains and Grandma were making conversation and Gordon was eating in silence.

"Gordon? Are you okay?"

"Hm?"

"Are you okay? You're very quiet."

"Yeah, just thinking about Four."

Grandma shook her head with a grin. "You boys and your 'birds. I've never known anyone to get so misty-eyed over vehicles."

It was at that moment Virgil walked in. It had worked better than Gordon could have possibly dreamed. Virgil's hair was platinum blonde, perfectly bright from the roots to tips.

"What are you staring at?"

"Nothing. Just admiring your new look."

"Ha ha ha." If looks could kill, Gordon would probably be dead.

Grandma turned around. "I'm not sure if it suits you. Is it for the Comic-con?"

"No."

"Come on Virg, you'd make a pretty good Daenerys. Or Legolas."

"Gordon, shut up."

He grinned. "I'm just saying."

Virgil sat down, not taking his accusatory glare off Gordon. "I know this is your fault."

"It can't have been me! I've been in the hanger with Brains all day."

"So-sorry Virgil, he hasn't left."

"But you're the only one with the hair dyes."

"And everyone knows that."

Virgil considered. Gordon tried to watch him without looking like his life might depend on it.

"I still think it was you. Will it wash out?"

"Yeah. None of my dyes are permanent."

"Good because this does not suit me."

Grandma had been watching with wearied amusement. "What happened this time?"

Gordon and Virgil stared at each other until Virgil realised that if Gordon told the story it would come off so much worse for him.

"There may or may not have been a shower malfunction on Two when I picked Gordon up last week. And that just happened to be the day the we picked Lady Penelope up from the Estrella Grand."

"D-does it need repairing?"

"Oh, no. I sorted it."

Grandma shook her head. "Boys."

Virgil leant close enough for Gordon to get a waft of the dye's flowery fragrance. "I don't know _how_ you did it, but I _know_ it was you."

"If you _are_ considering it payback, do you think it was overkill?"

"Nah. If it _was_ payback, I think we're pretty much equal now."

"It's kinda weirding me out."

"And whose fault is that?"


	15. Relic

_Hi everyone, this story's going to be a little bit different to the last ones. I hope you enjoy, if there's anything you want in future chapters please comment_ xx

* * *

"Come on Jeff."

"It might be dangerous."

Lee rolled his eyes. "Duh. Maybe you're just scared."

"I'm not scared. It's just we're not supposed to go up there in the dark."

"That was when we were kids. And it's not dark."

True. "We're twelve."

"We're not kids."

Logical, and Jeff did appreciate the logic. And he really wanted to go.

"Fine, we go to the Outcrop."

"Yes!"

The Outcrop was a twenty-minute walk from Lee's house. Well, it took twenty minutes to get to the Track. The Track was a ten-minute walk up that got steeper the closer you got to the top. The boys had made the climb plenty of times before, so it posed them no problem despite the amount of gear and snacks they'd brought with them. They reached the top, dumped the bags and stared at the fiery sky and the landscape way below.

"Who's going to put up the tent?"

"I'm not."

"Well, I'm not."

"I'm not."

"Rock, paper, scissors?"

Lee considered. "Okay."

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Both scissors. They stared at their hands.

"Uh…best of three?"

"Arm wrestle?"

Lee won. Jeff accused him of cheating. There was a short scuffle during which a torch fell over the edge. They both put up the tent.

They'd demolished half of the snacks by the time the sun had set. And as the sky darkened to a deep velvety black, stars started to streak across the sky. The moon hung bright in the sky, it almost seemed close enough to touch. Jeff smiled, entranced by it.

"Hey, did you see that one?"

"Hm?"

"We've got the best seats for one of the best lightshows on earth and you're staring at the moon."

"What can I say? She's beautiful."

Lee laughed. "Look at the meteors, you can look at the moon for every other day of the year."

"Yeah, but they'll come back next year."

"But the moon will be there tomorrow."

"I guess," Jeff turned away and watched for another shower of silver. "What d'you think it'll be like when they land there again?"

Lee shrugged. "Pretty much the same as it was last time. Awesome though."

"We're going to get up there one day."

"I know. Bet I get there first."

"How much?"

"Gloating rights."

Oooooooh. That made things interesting.

"You're on." Jeff opened another packet of popcorn. "Bet I get to Mars first though."


	16. Breakdown

Virgil dropped onto the sofa with a groan. Some rescues were so draining. And everyone had gone to bed. Typical. He understood, of course he did. It didn't mean it didn't hurt. It did. Especially as they pretended to forget. And even if they threw a belated birthday party tomorrow it wouldn't be the same. At least he'd survived to his birthday.

That was a depressing train of thought he didn't want to follow. M.A.X. whistled at him in a consolatory sort of way.

"I know, it's just I was excited and I spent all day in an ice cave with a grumpy doctor and yeah, maybe we saved thousands of lives but it had to be today didn't it? It just wasn't exactly the birthday I would have chosen."

M.A.X. beeped a little more urgently.

"I appreciate that they put a lot of effort into this but I kinda wish they'd stayed up until I got back. I barely even saw them. Yeah it's a great birthday but...am I just being selfish? None of them even said happy birthday."

"Happy birthday Virgil."

_Oh. That was what M.A.X. had been trying to say. _He didn't bother looking up. Actually, he was probably just going to fall asleep. "It's like 11:30 John."

"Still your birthday. You look like you should be in bed."

"Yeah but it's a long way."

"I'm sorry it ended up like this."

"S'Ok."

"You just gave a monologue on why it wasn't okay."

Virgil sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I'm too tired to argue."

John gave him a sort of sympathetic smirk. "I know I'm not there but you can open my present."

Virgil looked up at the pile of wrapped objects.

"Uhhhh, am I supposed to guess?"

"It's me." John rolled his eyes. "What do you expect me to get you?"

Virgil dragged himself off the sofa and sorted through the pile until he found what looked like a wrapped book.

"Tell me I'm right."

"You're right."

"Is it a book?"

"Why don't you open it and find out?"

Virgil tried to open it neatly but it was impossible. There were no gaps and the sticky tape had been applied by an expert. If he had longer nails it might have been possible.

"Geez John, what did you stick it down with?"

"Sellotape. Maybe some superglue."

"That's not fair."

He fumbled in his pocket for the Swiss army knife, sliced it open and...

"You got me a cardboard box."

"Happy birthday." John smirked.

Why was everyone in his family a total dork? John was supposed to be the reliable one. He opened the box with considerably less difficulty than the wrapping paper. And stopped. He lifted the paper out as carefully as he could.

"Oh wow. Where did you get this?"

"That's a secret. I know you've already got one-"

"Is this actual sheet music from the 1800s?"

"Yeah. I did all of the checks, it's genuine."

"Cooool. That's definitely the best present I've got from my family this year."

He rolled his eyes. "And it was a really tough competition."

"I love it John. Where did you get it?"

The pages were brittle and browned with age and use. Everything was decorated with elegant swirls. The titles were almost illegible for the decorative flourishes.

"A little antiques shop in France. They were closing down. Are you going to play it?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, now."

Honestly, he was itching to play, but so tired...

"Okay, but if it sounds shit it's because I'm dead."

"Told you so."

"Told who what now?"

"He told me that you'd play even though you're exhausted. Happy birthday Virgil."

"Thanks EOS."

He sat down at the piano and leafed back to the start. Soft notes, gentle cords flowed from the piano and danced around the room. The music always made things better. A party tomorrow wouldn't be the end of the world.


	17. Heist Society

This started out as a BrainsxMoffie fic, and ended up as BrainsxVirgil. Please review and enjoy xx

* * *

Brains and Moffie had been lab partners at Cambridge. It sparked an immediate friendship, which had lasted through their studies and they'd done their best to maintain despite the fact that their jobs required the upmost secrecy.

There was a short list of people who were allowed on the island, Moffie was on that list. Jeff had hoped that she would work for International Rescue along with Brains, but another offer came up and they went their separate ways.

After all those years Moffie was finally standing in what could have been their lab.  
"How did you excavate the chambers?"  
"They were al-already here, we just p-put some a-additional supports."  
"Of course, the island is volcanic."  
"W-was."  
Moffie stared around, every time she saw something interesting, something better jumped out at her. There were schematics everywhere, formulas all over the boards, different coloured sticky notes which she guess correlated to each operative. The childish part of her was hoping that there would be mysterious bubbling liquids but there were none to be seen.  
"Is that M.A.X.?"  
A loud whistle and a flurry of beeps confirmed that it was indeed M.A.X. She crouched down so she was level with him.  
"Look how much you've grown! You're getting big aren't you? Who's a good robot? Who's a good robot? You're a good robot!"  
M.A.X. bounced up and down. Brains shook his head and grinned fondly.  
"He's n-not a dog, Moffie."  
"I can still make a fuss of him. He's come a long way since uni."  
"It was a l-long time ago."  
"I suppose it was."  
They fell silent for a moment, reminiscing. She patted M.A.X. on the head and stood up.  
"So, tell me about those gorgeous hunks upstairs."  
"Wh-what ab-bout them?"  
"The one in the lumberjack getup, he's your type."  
Brains had just taken a mouthful of cold coffee and had inhaled most of it into his lungs. Moffie thumped him on the back until he'd stopped turning asphyxiation blue and returned to a slightly healthier appalled red.  
"Moffie-"  
"What?" She grinned.  
"It w-won't happen."  
"He's straight?"  
"I d-don't think so."  
"You've been here for more than ten years!"  
"It's n-not something I n-need to know."  
"Mmmhmmm. Totally a phase three Hiram."  
Brains shook his head, blush becoming darker by the second.  
"I am n-not a phase thr-three."  
"Denial is phase three."  
"They th-think we're t-together."  
That was hardly unexpected. Plenty of people had assumed that they were together, and they had been. Not for long. They'd realised pretty quickly that they were better off as friends. And they'd stayed such close friends that most people didn't know they'd broken up. Moffie sat in the swivel chair and leafed through a folder of schematics while she considered.  
"We can work around that. Would you want to date him?"  
"Maybe." Brains sighed. "But what if I lose him?"  
"You won't let that happen. They won't let that happen. Do you actually fancy him?"  
Brains made a half-hearted non-committal noise which translated as yes.  
"I think you have a chance."  
"Can we just leave it at a phase three for now?"  
So many of Brains' crushes ended up staying in phase three, Moffie was determined that this wouldn't be one of them.  
"Okay, but when I check back in six months please be a phase four."  
"I'll t-try."  
"Is this cloaking tech?"  
"Y-yes, but it d-doesn't work yet."  
"You've got me now, I'm something of a genius you know."  
Brains laughed. "Okay, genius. See if you can solve this."


	18. Recharge

_Hello everyone, this is going to be the last update for a while because I'm going to be focussing on fluffember. Please review and if there are any characters/situations/general dynamics you want to see explored in future chapters (no matter what season it's from) tell me cos I love hearing from you xx_

* * *

Scott woke up with a loud incessant beeping in his ear. After a few terrifying moments he managed to locate his earpiece and stop the noise.

"Wha?"

"You have a meeting in the lounge in fifteen minutes." EOS said.

"I'm in the…" he looked around and realised that he was not in the lounge, he was in his bedroom. _How did that happen?_

"What's the meeting about?"

"You'll have to go and find out." Oh god, she was learning from John. As if she wasn't unmanageable enough already.

"Who's it with? Do I need a suit?"

"It's a family meeting." _Shit. Are they even allowed to call a meeting on me?_

Scott pulled himself out of bed and straightened his shirt.

"Thanks EOS."

"No problem."

He picked his phone up, then frowned. "EOS, I know you're still there."

There was a giggle and a fizz as she disconnected. God she was learning from Gordon too.

"Okay, what's going on?"

Virgil was sat at dad's desk looking tired but determined (never a good combination to be on the receiving end of), and John floated just above it, obviously busy with something else.

"We need to talk."

"Where's everyone else?"

"In bed."

"I thought this was a family meeting."

"Stop prevaricating and sit down." Scott sat down, trying to supress sudden high school flashbacks and failing horribly.

"We're worried about your behaviour," Virgil said gently. "Scott if you need to talk to, you know we're always here. You don't need to hide it from us."

"I'm not hiding anything, I'm fine."

"Dad's death affected all of us and we know you feel you have a lot to live up to, but you don't need to be dad."

"But-"

"No, just listen to what I'm saying. You don't have to do everything-"

Virgil couldn't understand. He didn't need to, he wasn't the eldest. "If I'm not strong enough-"

"Bullshit Scott. You've always been strong."

"Sometimes strength is knowing when to delegate and when to take someone else's orders," John raised half an eyebrow. "We're a team and we will only work as a team. There needs to be balance, if you push everyone to the breaking point the team will fall apart."

"But we need to push-"

"Scott, what we're trying to say is that you don't have to do everything alone. We're here and we're perfectly capable of doing stuff, you don't need to do everything by yourself."

"Dad did."

They exchanged a look. "Dad relied heavily on you and me. You aren't letting us help as much as we could."

"And you don't listen."

"That's not fair Virgil."

John's hands danced in front of him and the tablet on the desk lit up. "That file documents every time you've ignored our advice and done something that could have injured or killed you or another operative."

Scott stared at it then looked up at John. "You haven't."

"I have. I'm not asking you to read it you just need to acknowledge its existence. There were twenty two incidents within the last week, half of those happened in the last two days."

Scott didn't dare open it.

"We," Virgil glanced at John. "Think that maybe you should-"

"I am not taking a break. I can't."

"Because International Rescue can't run without you or because you're scared?"

"I'm not scared."

"I know some brilliant therapists and counsellors-"

"There's nothing wrong with me John."

"I'm not saying there is. You need to talk to someone, if not us a professional."

"Please Scott, try. You can't keep going like this."

Maybe talking to someone would help. Maybe it would stop him from seeing the explosion night after night in his dreams. Maybe it would stop the icy terror every time he sent one of his brothers out knowing that they might never come back, and it would be his fault. Maybe it would let him trust his brothers to handle themselves.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, where do we start?"


	19. Extraction

Kayo had not been eavesdropping on their conversation. Except she had. EOS had patched her in when the words 'scale model' and 'Thunderbird Three' had been mentioned. Kayo had erased the images from the web and EOS had done some very illegal hacking to wipe them from any personal files. And now they were trying to bring them back to the island. She rolled her eyes, she loved the boys but sometimes it was as if they _wanted_ to jeopardise the entire organisation.  
She flicked open the line to the lounge and Two.  
"Brains, it's Kayo. We can't have them on the island. They pose a massive security hazard."  
Brains's face fell. "But…b-but he's-"  
"I'm sorry Brains, we can't. He'll give away our secrets, it's a statistical certainty. Virgil, stay on course for the hospital."  
"Kayo, come on," Gordon's voice and big brown eyes were at their most pleading, but she wouldn't fall victim to them. Not today. "You'll love what this kid has made."  
"It's a security risk Gordon. We can't have civilians on the island."  
Another voice piped up from the back and a little boy flickered into existence. "Please ma'am I won't tell anyone."  
"Unfortunately, we have rules," Kayo's voice softened. "And it will take time to return to base, the nearest hospital is much closer."  
"And you have clearance to land," EOS added. "It's safer."  
"I wish you wouldn't do that." Gordon shot a glare up at the ceiling.  
"Please stick to the flight plan." There was the hint of a threat in her voice.  
"It's probably best if we go to the hospital, I don't want your leg to get worse, dad."  
"Thank you." She switched back to eavesdropping and turned back to Brains.  
"I'm sorry Brains, but security has to come first."  
"It's o-okay Kayo. I understand." Then he hung up on her.

EOS's avatar replaced the image a few moments later.  
"I thought I was going to have to override Two."  
"Virgil would never forgive us."  
"I don't understand why they have no regard for security."  
"They just get excited about things like this," Kayo scrolled through the report John had just sent her and an idea struck her.  
"EOS, would you be able to handle any images that end up on the web?"  
"Of course, Kayo. Would you like me to shut down any unofficial websites dedicated to International rescue?"  
"Just remove the images, and any details about the ships or us."  
"F-A-B. I'll start now."

There was a bleep as she disconnected. Kayo exhaled slowly, she needed to share the burden. Security wasn't an easy thing to be in charge of, but EOS would be helpful. And thorough. Something flashed up in her mind but she dismissed it. She was being paranoid. EOS wouldn't find out.


	20. The Hexpert

It didn't take much to talk Parker out of going to the gala, and even though the boys had insisted they'd only come to say hello to Sherbet Penelope convinced them to stay for a little while. After all Scott had nearly been vaporised (again), they deserved a chance to relax.  
Penelope leant back into the sofa, Sherbet in her lap, and finally let herself breathe. It had been a long day.  
"Are you ever incredibly grateful that your public image isn't your life?"  
"Billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. I could live with it."  
Virgil shrugged. "I'm glad, but it wouldn't kill me."  
Penelope sighed. "I guess you two don't have to pretend you're a completely different person. And you're not really in the news much anyway."  
Scott groaned and slumped further down. "Don't mention the press."  
"I'm bored of being a vapid socialite."  
"Environmental activist, business woman, and ex-model." Virgil said.  
"Hush. You know how it is, Scott. You go out there and pretend you're someone that isn't really you and it's exhausting. I just want to be me."  
"You can always be you with us." Virgil said gently, setting his lemonade aside.  
"You'll always be the little girl who pushed me into the hedge so she could win the Maze Race."  
"I did no such thing Scott Tracy. You tripped."  
Scott sat up straight, an I-have-a-stupid-idea glint in his eyes. "You know what would make you feel better?"  
Penelope pouted and rolled her eyes. "A giant Black Forest gateau and a large margarita?"  
"The Maze Race."  
"But, it's dark."  
"We have torches."  
"We might get called out." Virgil said. It made Scott hesitate but he didn't relent.  
"It'll be fun. Or are you too scared, my lady?"  
That was all the encouragement she needed, she never could back down from a challenge especially if Scott was the one challenging.  
"You are going down, Tracy."  
"Virgil?"  
"Sure. I'm going to be there to watch you lose again."

The night echoed with shouts of laughter as they ran blindly between the hedges. It was like they were kids again; just Scott, Penelope, and Virgil with no pretence. Just an all-out war for honour and glory.


	21. Comet Chasers

One and a half days. Thirty-six hours. Two thousand, one hundred and sixty minutes. One hundred and twenty nine thousand, six hundred seconds. Maybe he was overreacting.  
"You're going to have to pay for my yacht and my cameras."  
On the other hand, maybe he wasn't. Scott was ready for a Sudden Unexplained Cargo Bay Door Malfunction, and he was starting to see how John felt after the whole Fischler incident.  
"Chill Scott."  
"I haven't said anything."  
"I can feel the annoyance from here."  
"I am not annoyed."  
"Sure." Alan grinned in the superior way that could only be achieved by younger siblings. Scott wouldn't rise to it, he wouldn't punch Francois, he would not give in. Alan's look increased in smugness and his resolve cracked.  
"He's just…so infuriating."  
"Yeah? So is Gordon."  
"But this guy makes looking after Gordon seem like a walk in the park. He's so obnoxious."  
As if on cue Francois's voice crackled over the comms.  
"It's absolutely ridiculous, you don't even have any staff. What are we supposed to do?"  
"I don't think they're listening." Madeline said.  
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't they be listening to me, it's not as if they have anything better to do."  
"I'm not listening."  
"Oooo-ooh, burn."  
"See! Really, really annoying!"  
Alan shook his head. "Honestly Scott you sound like you didn't grow up with five siblings. Just take deep breaths and go to your happy place."

Thirty one hours to go.  
"But is it possible?" Alan's eyes were hopeful. All of Scott's attempts to derail the conversation had been ignored.  
"T-technically, yes."  
"I know what I want for my birthday."  
"You are not getting a lightsaber for your birthday."  
"Come on Scott."  
"No. Before you know it we'll have severed limbs and dead bodies."  
"What c-colour would you want?" Brains asked, not noticing (or perhaps just ignoring) Scott's glare.  
"Green, like the one I had when we were kids. What happened to it anyway?"  
"I think dad hid them."  
Any further discussion, or even the suggestion of a hunt for the lightsabers was cut off by more complaining from the cargo hold.  
"These ration bars are revolting. If I get food poisoning it will be on you."  
Alan groaned and rolled his eyes. "Scott I need a lightsaber now."  
"Murder is still illegal, even in space."

Twenty-four hours to go.  
Alan was napping and Three was on autopilot. Scott was fairly sure that their passengers were asleep too. He was failing to beat Alan's highest score on Alien Storm, honestly he wasn't even anywhere near Alan's lowest score. He closed the game before his embarrassment was logged for all eternity.  
He stared out of the portal and watched the stars go past. He loved stargazing but he could never reach the same levels of awe and tranquillity that it inspired in Alan and John.  
"Scott, you should get some sleep."  
"I'm fine."  
Alan blinked slowly. "You've been awake for more than twenty four hours, you need to sleep."  
"I'm not ti-" Scott yawned and decided not to finish the sentence. Alan smirked.  
"I can manage for a few hours, believe it or not. I'll wake you up if we run into trouble."  
"You sure?"  
"Of course. Space is kinda my thing."  
Scott reached over and ruffled his hair.  
"Okay, but promise you'll wake me up."  
"Promise. Now sleep."  
Sleep came far quicker than he expected; watching Alan fly was almost hypnotic, and the thrumming of Three's engines almost seemed like a lullaby. He let his guard down, he was safe. Scott drifted off to sleep surrounded by stars.


	22. Designated Driver

Lady Sylvia Creighton-Ward was a very interesting person. Even in the very short journey in FAB 1 Alan gleaned that she was incredibly wealthy, very intelligent and an ex-intelligence agent.

"Tell me is Penelope up to anything much?"

"Yeah loads. She's always doing charity galas and stuff. She travels a lot, I'm really jealous."

"But surely you get to see the world with International Rescue?"

Well of course she knew. She saw Thunderbird One land in Penelope's front garden.

"Yeah, but I never get to sightsee or do normal tourist things. I want to take photos and go to cafes and stuff, I'd never want to do anything else but sometimes…" He laughed awkwardly.

"Of course, I'm not a liberty to talk about my service but I was young when I joined. There are always times, no matter what you're doing, when you wish you could just live a normal life. But then I'd remember that I do what I do because I'm the best for the job, and I would never be happy if I didn't know everyone was safe."

"Exactly. I know I'm young but nobody is more qualified than me to do my job," he hesitated. "Did that sound really boastful?"

"No," Sylvia smiled. "It sounded truthful."

* * *

I apologise for my absence and how short this is, I really struggled with it.


	23. Chain of Command

"I wish I could've seen his face."

"There's probably security footage _somewhere_," Penelope said. "You'll just have to find it."

"That sounds illegal, Milady."

"It does rather, doesn't it?"

Gordon wished he could see Penelope's face, the call was audio only due to static interference from wherever she currently was. He wanted to see the mischief in her eyes and that little smile she did when she was pretending to be innocent. He was curled up in bed with Inky the Squid, the curtains were half drawn and a sliver of moonlight fell across his bed.

"That could've gone really badly if you didn't show up."

"Is that a thank you, Gordon?"

He grinned. "Maybe,"

"It's totally a thank you."

Gordon swore loudly and Inky was flung into the air, the phone slipped and he only just managed to catch it before it hit the floor.

"Holy shit John! This is a private call, stop eavesdropping!"

"Then you should've made it on a private line."

"This isn't on the IR network." Penelope said, perfectly composed.

"All our tech is linked into the network."

Gordon rolled his eyes. He wasn't fooled, John was just nosey, and he recognised that tone of voice.

"What do you want?"

"Firstly, you both need to file a report with the GDF about Janus. Secondly, I've sent you the footage you requested. Thirdly, why are you two making private calls on old tech anyway?"

"Thirdly, that's none of your business John Tracy." Penelope snapped.

"Secondly, what footage?" His comm beeped and a video file appeared, he pressed play and watched Janus being arrested.

"The reports are due tomorrow, Colonel Casey wants to get this all wrapped up as soon as possible."

"John?"

"Yes, Penelope?"

Gordon growled (but only in his head) at John's informality. _Nobody_ called her Penelope. Not like that.

"If I ever catch you listening in on my private calls again you know what I'll do."

There was a slight pause and Gordon leant forward in case he missed anything.

"You won't catch me."

There was a faint fizz of static as Thunderbird Five disconnected.

Penelope laughed.

"Gordon tell your brother that even being in orbit won't protect him from my wrath."

"Sure. Not gonna lie, but I'd like to see that."

"I bet you would. It looks like I have a report to write. I'll call soon, yes?"

He sighed. Stupid report. "Yeah sure. See you soon?"

"Goodnight Gordon." She hung up.

Gordon retrieved Inky from the floor.

"Y'know, I think she likes me."

* * *

22,000 miles away, John smiled.

"She definitely likes you."

* * *

_Two chapters in one evening, you lucky things. Hope you enjoyed, please comment._


	24. Touch and Go

Kayo had already been told off by John, and Brains (well, as near as Brains ever got to telling people off), and then there was the scheduled meeting with Scott to discuss her 'professional conduct'. She was in a foul mood by the time she reached the lounge, and all she really wanted was a shower rather than one of Scott's self-righteous lectures.

It was no surprise that the conversation descended into a shouting match.

Grandma broke it up and they'd agreed to put it aside until they weren't so emotional and drained. They went to the gym and sparred together, by the time they got back to the lounge they were friendly again. The Conversation still needed to happen but at least she didn't want to punch his stupid face anymore.

She decided to stay up with Virgil to talk it over as he was pretty much the only person who wasn't getting involved. Scott had gone for a drink with Jane. Virgil went to bed, telling her not to wait up all night for Scott.

If she were honest she'd expected him back late. Very late. With that cocky Playboy Tracy swagger. He was back early, with a wine stain on his shirt.

"I fucked up." Scott dropped onto the sofa with a groan.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He gave her an appraising look then leant his head against the back of the sofa. "Yeah, as long as you don't blackmail me. It started alright."

"The usual vision of beauty line?"

"Shut up. We were on our third drink, and we were laughing at each other's jokes and it was going really well, then she asked me about Michaela."

Kayo winced. "Ooof."

Scott went quiet, lost in memories.

"Scott?"

He jumped. "What?"

"She asked you about You-Know-Who."

"I told her about what happened and she seemed fine with it until she threw a glass of wine in my face, yelled at me and stormed out."

Kayo considered this briefly, she felt like she'd forgotten a very important factor but had no idea what it was. "I feel like I missed half the story."

"Same here. She said that she knew Michaela."

Kayo actually facepalmed. "Okay, that explains a lot."

"Does it?"

"Yes. Why did she even agree to go out with you?"

"Don't think she realised who I was."

"Apologise to her. Then keep your distance."

"Thanks."

"No problem. You should drink something that isn't alcohol and go to bed."

"You're as bad as Grandma sometimes."

Kayo rolled her eyes and vaulted off the sofa. She was halfway to the stairs before she realised what had been bugging her.

"What happened to Marion?"

She heard a scrabbling sound and a loud thud. Taking that as an acceptable answer she ran.


	25. Undercover

When Kayo got back to the island Grandma was waiting for her.

"You got my message."

"Of course, I did, I'm not a complete technophobe."

Kayo passed her Banilo's phone. "You see why it has to be now?"

"Of course, it's your choice. Are you ready?"

"I have to be. And I have to be ready for them to take it badly."

"Sometimes you're too pessimistic."

Kayo just stared at the photograph. "I prefer the term realistic. My uncle caused the death of their father. They all feel it, you know how Scott is."

"Protective of his younger siblings, that includes you Kayo. Scott knows, they all know that you can't help who your family is."

"It doesn't change anything."

"You're a Tracy, Kayo. Like it or not. Jeff was my son, and I swear I never hold anything that that bastard has ever done against you. The boys will be the same."

"You sure?"

"What does your gut say?"

Kayo pulled a face and laughed. "They're my brothers."

"Yes, and your brothers won't throw you out," Grandma cracked her knuckles. "I'll make sure of that."


	26. Legacy

It wasn't until Kayo completed her mission that she broke down. She didn't even manage to get to her bedroom she just collapsed on the sofa and cried.

There were shuffles of movement and flashes from the holo-table but she didn't notice any of that. She didn't even know why she was crying she didn't care, she'd held her emotions bottled inside for so long they just couldn't be contained anymore.

"Kayo?" She buried her face in a sofa cushion, her body heaving with sobs. Someone slipped their hands under her arms and hauled her into a more upright position. She clung onto them, burying her face in their shoulder and inhaled the smell of coconut shampoo. Circles were rubbed into her back and gentle words she couldn't understand murmured against her hair.

"Kayo, look at me."

She sniffled, her tears having run dry a while ago and lifted her head. A headache was starting to thud behind her eyes. Alan gave her a small smile.

"Do you want to go up to the roof?"

She nodded, a fresh wave of tears threatening. Alan helped her up and to her absolute horror she saw that they weren't alone. Grandma, Scott, Virgil, and Gordon were all on the balcony. Even in her state she could tell Scott was in a Smother Hen overload and the others were having to physically restrain him from rushing over.

"Ignore them." Alan murmured, his arm round her waist.

They didn't speak until they got up to the roof.

"Did you walk in on me?" Kayo asked.

Alan shook his head, looking at the stars on the horizon rather than her. "I got back before you. Grandma asked me to comfort you, then John called ten seconds later to say the same thing."

"Everyone knows?"

"Brains doesn't."

Kayo sagged. It didn't make her feel any better.

"Do you…y'know…wanna talk?"

Kayo sniffed and dug in her pocket for a tissue. "It's really beautiful this time of night."

"Yeah, it is," Alan tipped his head back and squinted at the sky. "That one's Five."

She looked up to where he was pointing. "You can't know that."

"I do."

"Yeah right."

"It's bright and it's directly above us, therefore it's probably Five."

She considered what he had said before and decided she needed more information. "John called you?"

"Yeah, he said he tried talking to you, but you didn't respond. He thought you'd need someone who's physical."

He was right there. She bit her lip to stop it from trembling.

"Are you crying because I was nice to you?"

God, it was so stupid. She nodded and wrapped her arms around him. He was warm and cuddly.

"Hey, it's okay."

"I shouldn't be this emotional." She managed between sobs.

"Everyone gets emotional sometimes, there's nothing wrong with it. And don't start telling me you're weak either."

"I…I think it's relief."

He didn't say anything, a tactic to get her to elaborate. She'd taught him that one. It worked.

"I've been keeping that secret for years and years and it's been killing me. I've built up telling you in my head so much, I genuinely thought Scott was going to throw me off the island or just kill me, but you didn't and you all understood…"

"You can't choose who you're related to but you can choose your family."

"You're pretty wise for your age, you know."

"I learnt from the best."

They stared at the stars for a little longer, their arms wrapped around each other.

"Do you want hot chocolate?"

"Yeah."

They made their way back down to the kitchen but never got that far.

"Kayo are you okay?" and there was Scott mid-pace.

"I'm fine."

She wasn't stupid and he wasn't fooled, he didn't believe her for a second, but he didn't press her.

"We're here."

Scott hugged her, then Virgil and Gordon were there too and Alan squished between them.

"No one's going to hurt our sister." Gordon said.

She could really believe it. "You're the best brothers ever. You know that right?"

"Some are better than others."

"Way to ruin the moment Gordon."

"I just needed to make it clear that there is a hierarchy."

"There is not a hierarchy."

"Shut up, you're ruining the hug."

Scott and Gordon fell silent and Kayo let herself relax. No more secrets.

No big ones anyway.

* * *

Hi everyone. I'd just like to say thank you for reading (and a MASSIVE thank you to anyone who left a comment or binge-read the entire series in one go) and I hope you've enjoyed Coda so far. I'm officially 1/3 of the way through this mammoth project and I'll update as soon as I can.


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